Black Bean Stew
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This Black Bean Stew is smoky, flavorful, easy to make, comforting, and filling. You can serve it with your favorite toppings or over rice, and if you have leftovers, add some to quesadillas, burritos, and tacos! This recipe has so much flavor, and we think you all will love it!
What is the difference between stew and soup?
A stew is based on the liquid ratio to the meat or vegetables in the dish, and the liquid only slightly covers it. Whereas the liquid completely covers a soup. Stews are typically simmered until the liquid has reduced in half and the ingredients are only slightly covered. Stews are thicker in texture because they don’t have much liquid.
🌶 Ingredients
To make this black bean stew recipe, you will need a few staple ingredients, all of which can be found at your local grocery store.
- Black Beans. You can use a can of black beans or make fresh black beans from scratch before using them in this recipe. You will need about 2 cups of cooked black beans for this recipe.
- Red Onion. We prefer red onion in this recipe, but white onion would also work. There is only a slight difference in flavor, but both are still good options.
- Garlic. When making Mexican-flavored dishes, we always add fresh garlic.
- Red Bell Pepper. We like the sweet flavor of red bell pepper in this stew, but feel free to substitute it with a yellow or orange bell pepper.
- Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce. The chiles in adobo sauce have a nice smoky flavor that adds a fiery flavor to this stew.
- Chicken Broth. We only add a cup of broth to this recipe to keep that thick consistency of the stew. However, it adds a debt of flavor. Another alternative is to use vegetable broth.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes. It adds a nice smoky flavor to the dish. Since this is a stew, we simmer the recipe until the tomato juice reduces in half.
- Spices. The dried herbs used in the recipe are cumin, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, Mexican oregano, chili powder, coriander, salt, and black pepper.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Or substitute with Avocado Oil.
- Fresh Lime Juice. At the end of the cooking process, we add fresh lime juice as a soup enhancer.
- Cilantro. Before serving, we also chop a handful of fresh cilantro leaves and their stems to add to the stew.
🍛 Instructions
This rich stew is very simple to put together. The longest part is waiting for the liquid to reduce in half, but it’s worth the wait. It’s flavorful and delicious and perfect for the winter months.
- Saute the veggies. Add olive oil or avocado oil to a medium to large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add diced red pepper and red onion. Saute for 3-5 minutes, and then add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes longer.
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer. Add black beans, broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 tsp of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, and dried spices. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced in half, about 20 minutes. Taste, and add more salt as needed.
- Add toppings and serve. Add the juice of 1 fresh medium lime and chopped cilantro. Give a quick stir, serve over white rice, and add desired toppings like pickled jalapenos, sliced green onion, cotija cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and tortilla chips.
FAQs
Yes! Since soups are thinner than stews, you can remove the extra liquid by straining it or adding a tomato sauce to the soup as a thickener. If you go that route, you must simmer the mixture uncovered until the consistency is more reminiscent of a stew.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This Black Bean Stew is comforting, flavorful, and easy to make. It’s the perfect meal for those cooler days and can be enjoyed with a bowl of rice and flour tortillas. We also love adding leftovers to burritos or quesadillas. We hope you all love our recipe. Enjoy! ♡
Black Bean Stew
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil or substitute avocado oil
- 1 tsp chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp Mexican oregano or substitute regular oregano
- ½ tsp salt plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp coriander
- 14.5 oz fire-roasted tomatoes diced
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth or substitute vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 1-2 tbsp lime juice
- Saute the veggies. Add olive oil or avocado oil to a medium to large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add diced red pepper and red onion. Saute for 3-5 minutes, and then add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes longer.1 red onion, 1 red bell pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves
- Add remaining ingredients and simmer. Add black beans, broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 tsp of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, and dried spices. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced in half, about 20 minutes. Taste, and add more salt as needed.2 cups black beans, 1 tsp chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp coriander, 14.5 oz fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Add toppings and serve. Add the juice of 1 fresh medium lime and chopped cilantro. Give a quick stir, serve over white rice, and add desired toppings like pickled jalapenos, sliced green onion, cotija cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and tortilla chips.2 tbsp fresh cilantro, 1-2 tbsp lime juice
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